Bearing



Feb. 25, 1941. i w. H. KIT-r0 I 2,232,788

BEARING Filed April 24, 1939 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, 1941' PATENT OFFICE.

BEABJN G William H. Kltto, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 24, 1939, Serial No. 269,621

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to bearings in general and particularly to bearings for lubricating vertically mounted shafts.

It is an. object of the invention to provide a new and imprdved bearing construction. Another object is to provide a unitary bearing construction in which a porous sleeve bearing is mounted in' oil-retaining means, and means at opposite ends of the porous bearing for returning escaped oil by centrifugal force \to the oil-retaining means. A further object is to, provide a bearing construction including a sleeve bearing and oil-retaming means housed as a unit in an assembly adapted for mounting on a suitable support. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and claims and drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electrical motor with certain partsbroken away and showing a bearing constructed in accordance with.

. the present invention embodied therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged section through the bearing unit similar tothe showing in Figure 1; and,

Figure 3 is a view of an element in the bearing comprising-a metal plate which supports the lower end of the sleeve bearing and thelower oil-retaining means.

vThe embodiment of the invention herein disclosedis illustrated in a'motdr IO provided with an armature shaft ll rotatably mounted in upper and lower bearings indicated generally by the reference characters l2 and 13 respectively. The

present'invention relates specifically to the lower therewith.

The bearing l3 comprises a housing formed of upper and lower flanged cups l4 and 15, re-

hearing l3 and the elements which cooperate spectively. The flange of the upper cup M is peened over the peripheral edge of the flange of the lower cup l5 to secure the two cups together. A metal plate It is positionedin the housing and has its outer margin clamped between the flanges of the cups l4 and IS. A metalplate I! is positioned in the bearing housing below the plate l6 and has its margin clamped between the flanges of the cups l4 and I5. Plates 16 and l! divide the housing into three chambers 20, 2 and 22.

(Cl. cos-134.1)

the sleeve bearing and shaft II by the depending 1o annular collar 4| on the flanged cup 14. Arranged in the chamber 2! and contactlngthe sleeve hear ing 30 is another ring of oil-absorbing and oilretaining material 43. Another. oil'ring '44 is arranged in the-lower chamber 22 and is held in 15 position by lugs 45 depending from the metal plate II. The lower oil ring 54 is spaced from an upwardly projecting annular flange 46 on the lower cup l5 to form therewith anannular oil reservoir 41. nected by being in contact at the openings Hand 24 in the plates I5 and 'Il respectively, the three oil rings being compressed to such an extent that they are in contact at their adjacent surfaces.

The sleeve bearing 30 projects above the plate% I6 and its upper end terminates in a thrustbearing surface 50 disposed opposite the chamber 20. A thrust collar 5| is fixed to the shaft H and. has a horizontal thrust flange surface 52 butting against the thrust surface 50 on the sleeve bea'r- 30 ing 30. The thrust collar also functions to throw any oil that collects between the thrustbearing tact with the surrounding inner annular wall of the oil ring 40 where it will be absorbed.

A cup-shapedoilthrower 55 has its bottom wall 55 rigidly supported on the shaft H. The annular side wall 51 of the oil thrower 55 tapers o outwardly and, is spaced from and overlaps the lower end of the sleeve bearing 30 to form an oil collecting chamber 58, and the tapered wall 51 overlaps the lower end of the collar 35 on the plate I! and the upper end of the annular flange 45 46 on the lower cup IS. The oilthrower 55 collects in the reservoir 58 any oil that escapes between the sleeve bearing 30 and the depending collar 35 on the supporting member 11, and any oil that escapes between the adlacent bearing 5 surfaces on the shaft II and sleeve'bearing 30. Any oil that collects in the reservoir 58 is thrown outwardly by centrifugal force across the space between the thrower 55 and the projecting annular flange 45 into contact with the surrounding 55 The oil rings 40, 43 and 44 are con- 20 I annular wall of the oil ring 44 where it will be.

absorbed. Any oil not absorbed by the ring 44 collects in the annular oil reservoir 41.

Openings 50 are provided at circumferentially spaced points around the bearing housing to permit the unit to be secured by removable screws 6| to the bottom plate 62 of the motor I orto any suitable support to which it is desired to connect the bearings.

In operation, the shaft I l rotates in the porous sleeve bearing 30 carrying with it the combined thrust collar and oil-thrower "and the oil .thrower 55. The sleeve bearing is lubricated the sleeve bearing 30 and the shaft ll.

with suitable lubricating oil which is positioned between the sleeve bearing 30 and the shaft II, and between the thrust bearing surfaces 50 and 52 on the sleeve bearing 30 and thrust collar 5| respectively with a residue and surplus positioned within the oil rings 40, 43 and 44. During rota tion of the shaft H a certain amount of oil will escape from between the contacting surfaces of The oil that escapes from the contacting thrust bearing surfaces 50 a 2 will be removed by the centrifugal force developed by the rotating thrust bearing 5| and will be thrown outwardly across the space between the thrust collar and the chamber 20 into contact with the surrounding annular inner wall of the oil ring where it will be absorbed. Since the thrust collar 5| is sealed to the shaft H the oil cannot pass above the oil the oil thro'wer 55, since the shaft is vertical. As

the oil thrower 55 is se'aledto the shaft II the oil cannot pass downwardly but will be removed by centrifugal force to the periphery of the oil thrower 55 and be thrown outwardly into con- 24 and 23 in the plates l1 and I6 respectively, as

tact with the surrounding annular inner wall of the oil ring 44 where it will be absorbed. The oil will then be returned, due to the capillary action of the oil rings 43 and 40, through the apertures needed to supply the porous sleeve bearing 30 with lubricant. The surplus oilaccumulates in the annular reservoir 41 in the lower cup l5 and is in contact with the lower oil ring 44.

It is to be understood that the protection herein applied for is not confined to the particular combinations of features or" elements set out in the following claims. Protection is herein applied for, for any one or more of the features or elements referred to in the following claims, or described in the foregoing specifications or shown in the accompanying drawing, either independently or in combination.

I claim:

1. A hearing construction comprising a housing having a shaft receiving opening, a pair, of members in said housing and supported thereby, a porous sleeve bearing supported by said members in alignment with said opening, a. lubricating ring of oil absorbing material supported between one of said members and said housing and encircling said bearing in spaced relation, an oil a thrower on a shaft in said bearing for throwing oilcentrifugally therefrom upon said lubricatin means, a second lubricating ring supported between said members and encircling said bearing and in contact therewith, a third lubricating ring galiy therefrom upon said third lubricating ring.

2. A bearing construction comprising a housing having a shaft receiving opening, a pair of members in said housing and supported thereby, a sleeve bearing supported by said members in alignment with said opening, oil absorbent material supported between each of said members and said housing, means depending from one of said members to position oil-absorbing material in spaced relation from a shaft seated in said sleeve, and an oil thrower between'said shaft and oil absorbent material and operable to throw oil centrifugally therefrom upon said oil absorbent material.

3. A bearing construction comprising a housing having a shaft receiving opening, a pair of members in said housing and supported thereby, a porous sleeve bearing seated between and supported by said members in alignment with said opening, oil absorbent material supported between said members and extending circumferentially around said porous sleeve bearing to feed oil directly thereto, and oil absorbent material supported between each of'said members and said. housing and interconnected with the other absorbent material and being extended beyond one end of said bearing to receive centrifugally thrown oil from a rotating shaft seated in said housing.

4. A bearing construction comprising a housing having a shaft receiving opening, a pair of members in said housing and supported thereby, a porous sleeve bearing seated between and sup- ;ported by said members in alignment with said opening, oil absorbent material supported between said members and extending circumferentially around said porous sleeve bearing to feed oil directly thereto, oil absorbent material supported between each of,said members and said housing and interconnected with the other absorbent material, and an oil thrower on said shaft to throw oil from said shaft to a part of said second mentioned oil absorbing material.

5. A bearing construction comprising a housing havinga shaft receiving opening, a pair of members in said housing and supported thereby, a sleeve bearing seated between and supported by saidmembers in alignment with said opening,

.011 retaining means supported betweeneach of said members and said housing and extending and a rotatable shaft mounted therein. a bearing housinga sleeve bearingin said housing rotatably seating, said shaft, oil absorbing means in said housing extending circumferentially around and spaced radially from said sleeve bearing and extended .beyondone end thereof, a-thrust collar butting one end of said bearing and rotatable relative'thereto said oil absorbing means encircling said 'butting surfaces in spaced relation,

7 said thrust collar operating to throw oil cen- &

triiugaily trom'said 2,232,788 Y butting surfaces into contact with said 'spaced' encircling oil absorbing means 9 upon rotation of'said sha 8. In combination ina vertical shaft and a 5 bearing construction therefor, a vertical shaft, a

' v bearing housing, a pair pf'members in said housing for supporting a poroussleeve bearing in said housing said bearing rota shaft, 011 absorbing means in 10 cling said bearing in con mediate its ends and space tably seating said said housing encirt act therewith interd' therefrom at its opposite ends, and oil throwers at the opposite ends of said, sleeve bearing for centrifugally throwing oflf oil therefrom adjacent spaced encircling 9. A bearing construction inghaving a shaftv receiving to contact with the oil absorbing means.

comprising a housopening, a pair'foi members in said housing and supported thereby,

. a porous sleeve bearing supported in'said hous-- ing by said pair of members and rotatably re-' ceiving a shaft, lubricating material supported 7 1 between said members and encircling said porous bearing and contacting the latter, a' first lubricant absorbing ring supported between one of said members and-saidvhousing, a second lubricant absorbing ring supported between the other of saidmembers and said housing, oil throwers on said shaft at opposite ends of said porous bearing, said lubricant absorbing rings being Spaced. from said oil throwers for receiving oil irom the latter, said pair of members having 

